Through Music
by Shmailey
Summary: AU. Percy Jackson hated high school. He thought it was gonna be fun, but it was just stressing and depressing. So he did what he figured was best, he disappeared. One day he decided to come back, really only one thing helping him get through this. How? Through music. (Percabeth)
1. My Head's A Prison And Nobody Visits

**My Head's A Prison And Nobody Visits - You Me At Six**

* * *

_Keep me up, keep me up,  
Oh I won't sleep tonight,  
These rules were made so long,  
And you know they're right._

* * *

Percy wasn't sure what he was doing going back to Goode. He hadn't been back there in four months. He wasn't sure why he was going, but he finally felt like it was time to go back.

He wasn't sure how everybody would take it. Hell, he wasn't sure how he would take it.

His freshman year, things started going downhill. School was starting to stress him out, his teachers were stressing him out, sports were stressing him out, he never felt fully able to talk to his friends, his parents were getting onto him about more and more useless stuff, his teachers were looking at him like a slacking idiot, his parents were taking more and more stuff away, stupid pain-in-the-ass things like that.

He got a small break from the school problems over summer, but the problems with his parents just increased.

About two months into his sophomore year, he decided that he needed a break. He grabbed his old swim team drawstring and threw his sketchbook in, some CD's, and his iPod. He took off in his car, told his mom he was going to the library to study. Of course, she told him he had chores to do, but he kept walking. The last thing he saw was his mom running out of the house, waving her arms frantically.

He drove around New York, bouncing around jobs in gas stations all over the state. He slept in his car in the parking lots of Walmart's and stuff. He listened to music every chance he got. He drew whatever he felt like drawing while listening to his old CD's in his car stereo, he walked around with earbuds in his ears listening to the same tracks over and over. They just never got old.

This went on for four months.

Percy finally felt like coming home, so he filled up on gas and drove towards his old apartment building. Of course, he didn't go in. He just sat in the parking structure under the building and slept.

He woke up at about 2 in the morning and went up to his old apartment.

He took the fire escape and broke into his old bedroom through the window. He stepped in and grabbed what he needed. His old bag with everything still in it, some new clothes, and a fresh pillow from his bed, since sleeping in the backseat was killing his neck. He also grabbed a thin blanket and headed back out.

He reached his car, put the pillow in the backseat and stashed the blanket under the seat. He put the clothes under there too, while he left his backpack in the passenger seat. He climbed into the back and let his head hit the pillow. He dozed off, setting his iPod to an alarm for 7:30 in the morning.

Now here he was, changed and driving to school, the music from his old CD blasting from the speakers.

* * *

_I saw her coming like a storm,  
I saw her come like I did before,  
The weight of the world is on my shoulders,  
But I just need someone else to hold it.  
And I don't know why we're here  
Is it to love of love and fear,  
Everyone's a winner,  
With a heart that small._

* * *

Of course, he had never told anyone how depressed he really was. They would probably all just think he was looking for attention. None of them would ever think all he needed someone to talk to.

Well, no one but her. She was the biggest part of why he was coming back.

Annabeth Chase… she was his best friend since the time they met in sixth grade. She had moved here from San Francisco, while he had just come up to middle school from his old elementary school. They had been the best friends for a long time. He had never thought of her in any other way than as friends.

Until eighth grade.

She came back after summer the same nerdy, intimidating girl she had always been. Percy just started noticing all the little things she does.

He really started noticing it when someone asked her to be their partner for a class assignment and she said "No thanks, I'll just be partners with Percy." And smiled at him.

And it was as if all other sound in the room died out and it was just him and Annabeth.

He was shocked and just smiled back, while in his mind he was thinking _Oh fuck, oh shit, oh fucking shit._

And then everything she did after that just sent him further into feelings for her. The slightest brush of their skin made his stomach leap.

The thing that made it suck was that he was pretty sure she knew he liked her, but she didn't have the slightest of affection for him.

He pulled into the parking lot of the school and saw that he was still ten minutes early. He leaned his seat back and let the music fill his ears as he waited a while longer, closing his eyes.

* * *

_Keep me up, keep me up,  
Oh I won't sleep tonight,  
These rules were made so long,  
And you know they're right.  
Give her up, give her up,  
Cause you're gonna die tonight,  
She'll lead you on, spit-_

* * *

And then someone was knocking on his window.

Percy opened his eyes as he paused the music and turned towards the window. Nico Di'Angelo was standing outside the door, his eyes wide and his mouth open slightly. He looked the same as he did four months ago, just his hair was longer. He still wore a black t-shirt with grey graphic designs on the side with some slightly skinny black jeans. He was probably wearing his same old, worn out pair of converse. A pair of aviators was clipped to his jeans pocket.

Percy sighed and opened the door slightly, waiting for Nico to move. Nico swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped back, his eyes scanning the ground in random places. He looked dazed, like he'd just seen a ghost or something.

Percy climbed out of the car, bringing his bag out with him. He closed the door behind him and locked it. He slipped one strap on his back and looked down at the ground.

Nico sighed, "You dress different."

He looked down at what he was wearing. It wasn't anything fancy, just a black and white My Chemical Romance baseball tee with some black jeans and converse. A grey beanie hung of the back of his head. He had an assortment of band bracelets on his left wrist with random other bracelets on his right.

He swallowed, "A change was needed."

He raised his eyebrows, "Cool."

Percy pressed his mouth into a straight line, "So, uh, what have you been up-"

"What the fucking hell, Percy? Where the hell have you been? What the fuck have you been doing? What were you thinking? You didn't leave a note or anything! Did you think we'd all be okay with this? What the hell!?" he took a breath, "Where have you fucking been?" he said less hysterically.

"It's too long of a story to explain at the moment." Nico rolled his eyes at that, "But I can explain to everyone later." he paused for a moment, "If they want me to."

Nice set his jaw and shoved his hands into his pockets. The bell rung, and Nico turned towards the school, "Annabeth will flip when she finds out, Perce."

"You can't tell her, or anyone, that I'm back. Don't do that." Percy protested.

Nico gave him a look, "What? Did you think they were just not gonna notice that you're here?"

He shrugged, "Well if I tried I'm sure they wouldn't. but, that's not what I'm doing. I need to be the on that tells them. Please."

Nico nodded curtly and walked to the school.

Percy leaned against his car and closed his eyes. _Here goes nothing_, he thought. He pushed off of the car and towards the school. He walked up the steps of Goode High and into the hallways. The familiar smell of the place rushed to him as he started towards the office. He put the earbuds back into his ears and continued the song he never got to finish, keeping his head down in case anyone saw him.

* * *

_And I know it was wrong to lie,  
But I need you to keep us alive,  
So if you and I, collide,  
Which one of us,  
Which one of us,  
Will survive?_

* * *

He took the headphones out of his ears and wrapped them around his iPod. He slipped it back into his pocket and took a folder out of his backpack, "Hi, I'm here to pick up my class schedule. I called about it yesterday, I have all the papers here." he said as he placed them on the desk.

The office lady was new, so she wouldn't recognize him, "Name please?"

"Oh, uh, Percy Jackson. Sophomore."

She typed some stuff into her computer and printed out a paper. She rolled her chair over to the printer and pulled a paper out. She rolled back and swapped it for the folder on the desk. Percy picked it up and looked at the woman.

She was…smiling at him.

He smiled back and turned to leave, "Thanks."

"You're welcome, have a good day sweetie."

He looked down at the paper and found his locker number. He turned down the hall and found the locker. He put the combination in and starting emptying his bag out. He put some of the old textbooks he kept from the beginning of the year into the locker and then sorted through some old notebooks.

"Dude, I'm telling you! Annabeth said they were done with the search, said she felt like it was going to be useless to continue. She's coming back today!" Grover's familiar voice flooded the hall.

"No way she's really giving up looking for Jackson. She needs him too much." Jason.

"Dude, her and Sally are giving up."

Piper cleared her throat, "Why are you both so calm about this? You talk about it like it's some TV show. I miss Percy. I hope he's okay. I don't want to stop searching, don't you guys want to find him?"

Percy saw Grover shift uncomfortably out of the corner of his eye, "Yea, I do. He was like my brother, the closest I ever got to one, anyway."

"We miss Perce just as much as anyone. All we want is to know what happened. I've already come to terms with the fact that he might be dead, remember? I just wanna know what happened."

The bell rung again, and Percy looked down at his schedule. His stomach was hurting, and he felt as guilty as he should, and probably more. He had…English first. Great, he gets to see Paul. He saw a group of students heading into Paul's classroom, so Percy ducked in with them and took a seat in the back. More students filed in, including Grover, Piper, Jason, Leo, and Thalia. He crossed his finger none of them would see him yet.

Shortly after, Paul came into the classroom, briefcase in hand, "Good morning students, sorry I was a bit late. I had a rough night. Now, let's do attendance before I forget."

All of a sudden, she barged in the door, "Sorry I'm late Paul!" Annabeth said, "I had a-"

"Rough night." Paul finished for her, "I know. Please, take a seat. We're about to take attendance. And Annabeth?"

"Yea?"

"Welcome back to class." he smiled at her.

She smiled back and took her seat.

He started reading off names, and Percy was barely listening. He only heard his friend's names.

"Jason?"

"Here."

"Thalia?"

"Present."

"Ricky?...Shophie?...Jace?..." Paul's eyes widened slightly and he gasped. He looked up at the room, "Percy Jackson?" he gasped out.

Thalia sat up, "Paul, that's not funny."

"No, really, his name is on my attendance sheet." He protested.

"Paul, quit messing around. That's not funny. Just 'cause we stopped searching doesn't mean we don't have feelings anymore." Annabeth said angrily.

"No! Really! His name-"

"Present." Percy interrupted, lifting his head up.

Annabeth's head snapped in his direction, and they locked eyes. He clenched his jaw and stared back. Her eyes widened in shock, hurt, and only a glimmer of relief.

"Percy Jackson…" Paul said.

"Holy shit." Jason said quietly.

"Um, present." Percy said again, looking away from Annabeth.

Paul put his hands on his desk, dropping the papers on the desk as well.

"Percy…" Annabeth whispered.

He looked back at her again, until turning away when Paul walked away from his desk and towards him.

Paul looked down at him, "Get out."

Percy looked up at Paul, a little confused, "Sorry?"

"Please leave my classroom."

Percy opened his mouth to say something, then stopped himself.

"Now, Percy, please leave."

"Paul-" Jason started.

"No Jason, stop." Paul folded his arms, "Get out."

Percy raised his eyebrows before sighing and standing up, pulling his bag up with him, "Go to hell Paul." Percy pushed past him.

"Excuse me?" Paul said turning around.

"Go to hell. Did I not say it in English or something? Go. To. Hell." Percy clenched his jaw.

"Where do you think we've been this whole time without you, Percy? And then you just show back up like nothing happened?"

"No, you've been in Vegas. I've been in Hell." Percy said.

Paul folded his arms again, "I'd find it kind of you to leave now, Percy."

Percy turned towards the door and grabbed the handle, "And I'd find it kind of you to jump out the damn window." He left the classroom and slammed the door behind him. He started down the hall, until he heard the door open behind him. All of a sudden someone grabbed his shoulder and whipped him around. He came face to face with Annabeth.

"Percy?" Annabeth stepped towards him and put her hand on his face, "Are you real?" she said, tears brimming her eyes.

He didn't know what to say, so he just reached his hand up to hers on his face, "As real as you are."

Annabeth looked like she was about to kiss him, and then she punched him. Dead in the face. Percy forgot how hard she could hit.

Annabeth looked at him holding his jaw, "Did that feel real?" she said, a tear spilling down her cheek.

Percy straightened out and took his hand off his face, "Yea, it did."

"Good." Annabeth said, and then she started hitting his chest, repeatedly. Her hands flew so fast Percy barely had enough time to restrain her. He grabbed both of her wrists and held them as he enveloped her in a hug.

"Shhh, Wise Girl, calm down. It's alright. Shhhh, I'm sorry. I know, I'm an idiot, I'm sorry." he said as he kissed the top of her head, "I'm sorry."

She cried onto his shoulder, "Where the hell have you been, Percy?"

* * *

_Give her up, give her up,  
Cause you're gonna die tonight,  
She'll lead you on, spit you out.  
Just to prove that she is right._

* * *

Percy explained the whole thing to her outside the school under a tree in the quad. They sat together against the tree.

Percy missed his best friend more than he thought. He wondered if running away had been such a good decision to begin with. She seemed annoyed, so he tried to put herself in his place. It was hard to do that though, since he was too distracted with the fact that Annabeth wouldn't meet his eyes.

He only wondered why she was even tolerating him at the moment.

Another bell rung and kids started flooding out of the doors. It was lunch time.

It was also time to explain to everybody else.

The first to come out of the doors was Jason, followed by Piper and Leo. Grover crutched after them, followed by two kids he had never seen before. He stood up from the tree, reaching a hand down to help pull Annabeth up. Four months ago, she would have grabbed his hand and called him a "Seaweed Brain" with a smile.

Now, she just pretended that she didn't notice his hand and pulled herself up.

Jason noticed him and walked over to Percy. He walked fast, eventually turning into a run. Percy wasn't even gonna try to deflect what was coming next, he was going to let it happen.

Jason reached him and swung his fist. It crashed with Percy's the side of his nose and left eye with a sickening crunch. A spur or blood waved down his mouth, his eye throbbing. Jason swung again, hitting the left side of his mouth. The burly kid that walked behind Grover jumped on Jason's back. Jason struggled to get him off, but the kid just held him back.

Jason faced Percy, who was now bleeding from his mouth and nose and his eye already starting to bruise, still being held back by whoever that kid was, "What the hell, Percy!? Where have you been!? You can't just show back up like that!"

Percy thumbed the blood on his chin, "I'm sorry."

"No! Sorry doesn't cut it!" Jason yelled red-faced.

"I'm sorry! Okay?"

"NO! I want an explanation!"

Percy felt his hand filling with blood dripping from his nose. He didn't know what to do. His head was pounding, he felt the stares of everyone on him. He heard the faint murmur of Jason's screaming, but the ringing in his ears was too much for him to handle. He felt Annabeth's hand on his shoulder, he felt something rising in his chest, filling his insides and making him feel nervous. He clenched and unclenched his fist and shifted weight from foot to foot. His head felt like it was about to explode. Leo and Piper joined Jason and started screaming at Percy to tell them where he'd been. His breathing got heavier and louder.

And then he just couldn't do it anymore.

He stumbled backwards, bumping into Annabeth. He turned to look at her, and her eyes widened at his face. She saw all the blood and the bruise.

Percy backed up more and turned. He ran towards the front of the building, slumping against the wall when he turned the corner. He didn't know what to do, but the ringing in his ears died down a bit more. He pulled himself back up and ran to his car. He sat in the front seat and slammed the door behind him. He stared at the blood dripping into his lap, then up at the steering wheel.

He slammed his fist on it. Then slapped it repeatedly for a couple of seconds.

He looked back down at his lap and caught his breath. He slumped forward onto the steering wheel and reached his hand back over to the radio. He played the same song from before. He saw something move from the corner of his eye. He turned his head towards it and saw Annabeth turn the corner and stare at him. Jason ran out after her. He starting yelling again and running towards his car. Percy locked the door and revved the engine all the way on. He slowly pulled out of the parking lot, wondering if what he was doing was right at all.

* * *

_Oh we know, we know it's right.  
We know,  
Know, we know it's right.  
And it's right.  
Know, we know it's right.  
We know,  
Know, we know it's right.  
And it's right._


	2. Go To Hell, For Heavens Sake

**Go To Hell, For Heavens Sake – Bring Me The Horizon**

* * *

_For the love of God, will you bite your tongue?_

_Before we make you swallow it._

_It's moments like this, where silence is golden._

_And then you speak…_

_No one wants to hear you!_

_No one wants to see you!_

_So desperate and pathetic, I think that you should spare me,_

_the pleasure of your company._

* * *

Nico just couldn't. What the hell was Jackson doing just showing back up like that? How did he expect people to take that?

Nico grabbed the edges of his hood, making sure it was still on his head. He wasn't entirely sure what he was doing either. He ditched homeroom and wandered the halls.

Damn, it's been a long time since he'd last seen Percy. He wondered, did he still have feelings for him…?

No, yes, Nico wasn't sure. The four months Perce was gone felt like years. Nico remembered Mrs. Blofis coming into school a wreck, running up and down the halls yelling Percy's name. Banging on doors, hitting the lockers, only Annabeth had been able to calm her down. Until, that is, when Mrs. Blofis said she hadn't seen Percy all weekend when he drove off to the library. Annabeth had shook her head, no she was at the library that weekend.

And then they realized that Percy was gone.

It had hit Nico like a load of bricks. He felt like he was suffocating, and then he felt like suffocating himself. Why should he miss Percy? After Bianca? Why didn't he hate Percy?

Why _couldn't_, he hate Percy?

He basically let Bianca die right in front of him!

Nico shuddered at the memory, instantly getting upset for living in the past again. He remembered it though, he couldn't help himself. He closed his eyes, stopping the tears that weren't even coming out of his eyes yet.

"_Nico, I couldn't…" Percy had barged into his room, his fist balled up and the other on Nico's door._

_Nico smiled, Percy and Bianca were home, "Hey Perce, where's B?"_

_Percy looked up at Nico, his eyes watering. There was dried blood dripping out of his nose. It was Nico's eighth grade year, Percy's freshman year, and Bianca's sophomore year, "She got in the car anyway… I told her not to, I grabbed her, she pulled out of my hands."_

"_Wait. Hold on Percy, slow down, what happened?" Nico stopped him._

_Nico tried to think, Bianca had wanted to go to one of her college friends' party. Nico didn't like that idea, and since their dad was off being a douche somewhere, no one could tell Bianca to stay home. Nico asked Percy to go with her and supervise._

"_We were getting ready to leave, but Bianca said her friend was having an emergency or something. She said she had to go with Alyssa. Alyssa was drunk, though, and she was gonna drive Bianca. I told her no,"_

_Nico's eyes widened in realization, "No. Percy she didn't."_

_Tears dropped from Percy's eyes, "She did. I grabbed her wrist, I told her to stay and it wasn't safe. She said she didn't care, her friend needed her. I grabbed her other wrist and she yelled at me to get off her. One of the college guys came over and punched me, I got knocked out. I woke back up, and… and they…" Percy dropped more tears, "They didn't even make it down the block."_

_Nico heard noises downstairs, "Sir? Uh, Mr. Jackson? We need you again, if you could hurry and tell her brother."_

_Nico couldn't say anything, he couldn't speak._

"_Nico, I'm sorry. I should have stopped her, I should have, I should have offered to drive her to her friends house. I should have done more. I… I-…I didn't, she, dammit."_

"_Percy! You said you would watch her! You promised me! What the hell?" Nico spurted._

_Nico pushed past him, down the stairs and into the living room. There were two officers in there, talking to Annabeth and Nico's dad._

"_Hey, son." his dad said to him._

_Nico clenched his jaw, "You arrogant bastard! You couldn't have stayed home one night! Now look, you were too busy trying to pick up whores off the street that you didn't care about your own damn daughter!"_

_Nico shoved past his dad and the police and out the door. He didn't know where to go, so he just ran._

Nico opened his eyes, his anger boiling inside him. He needed to do something, anything.

In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have done anything. He had turned and punched the locker, except it was nothing like the movies. He barely left a little dent, and he wasn't used to punching things. He didn't have much experience in that field. The skin around his knuckle split open and started bleeding. He was pretty sure he also broke a couple fingers.

"Fuck," Nico gasped, "You idiot."

His mind was messing with him again. He didn't know…anything. He doesn't know why he had feelings of affection for Percy, and he didn't know how he still felt. He had told Jason, and that was the only person he had ever told. He also said he'd given up on Percy, but even Nico didn't believe that.

Nico turned the corner. And of course saw Percy and Annabeth hugging outside of Mr. Blofis' room.

He froze in the hallway across from them. They didn't notice him standing there. They walked away together, Percy looking dazed. Nico felt his anger boil even more, he only came back for Annabeth. He didn't care about anyone else, everybody who had cared about him. The person that trusted him with his sisters life, the person who's sister he let die.

* * *

_I'm burning down every bridge we made._

_I'll watch you choke on the hearts you break._

_I'm bleeding out every word you say._

_Go to Hell, for Heaven's sake._

* * *

Nico saw Jason beat down on Percy. He also knew Percy could kick Jason's ass if he wanted to, but he didn't. Percy let it happen, until they all started shouting at him. He stood still for about two minutes, then he stumbled off and ran. Nico sauntered over to the rest of the group, seeing how confused Frank and Hazel were.

So Nico explained everything to them, and slowly saw the realization spread across their face.

"Harsh," Frank muttered.

Hazel looked down at the ground, "Don't you think you should at least give him a chance before beating him down?"

Nico knew she was only doing what she thought was best, but he didn't want that. He wanted her to tell him Percy was a jerk and he didn't deserve any of them. That Percy shouldn't have come back for any of them. That Percy has changed too much for any of them to get used to.

But even Nico knew that none of that was true. Percy must have had some good reasons for leaving. Nico just didn't know them.

Annabeth came back around the corner, Jason jogging to catch up to her.

"Annabeth! C'mon, calm down!" Jason called after her.

She spun around, "Seriously, you're telling ME to calm down!?"

Jason backed off a little, he didn't know what to say.

"The first day Percy's back and you already beat the shit out of him! You know he could have kicked your ass but he feels bad! You didn't even give him a chance to explain himself before running him off!" Annabeth yelled at Jason.

Jason creased his brow, "What!? He left us, Annabeth! He's the one that didn't give us a chance!"

"He left because he felt unwanted! He thought he was doing what was best! Your just acting on impulse again Jason!" Annabeth stepped closer to him.

"No, Annabeth! I get it, you have a crush on him! Your upset that he left, but don't make up excuses for him!"

Annabeth looked taken back for a second, "No. This isn't about having feelings for Percy, half our homeroom had a crush on Percy! This is about him being our friend. I gave him a chance to explain himself. I listened to what he had to say! I know why he left, I know what happened, every damn reason! If all that were happening to me, I'd have just jumped off the nearest cliff!" Annabeth spat out at Jason, "So don't you dare tell me, that he was just being selfish." Annabeth finished before turning back towards the parking lot.

Nico just stared at Jason. He knew Annabeth was right, he also knew what Jason did was pretty stupid. He just didn't know whether or not Percy had deserved it. Nico couldn't help but feel like this was all his fault. Everybody probably felt like it was their fault, but Nico definitely felt guilt.

* * *

_No one wants to hear you! (Save your breath)_

_No one wants to see you!_

_So desperate and pathetic,_

_you think that no one sees this._

_I think it's time you know the truth!_

* * *

He felt everyone's stare, it just wasn't on him. It was on Jason. Nico felt bad for Jason, but Nico wasn't a very touchy person. He tried to keep his distance from everyone, no matter what. The only person he really talked to Hazel. He tried not to get too attached to everyone else, it wouldn't hurt as bad when they left him.

He stopped in the middle of the hallway and almost collapsed.

That's why Percy left…

Oh no, he had been mad at Percy for doing a better job at what Nico was doing. Nico felt even guiltier.

"Nico? You okay?" Jason put a hand on his shoulder.

Nico immediately shook it off his shoulder, "I'm fine."

He heard Jason sigh behind him, "If this is about what you told me last week-"

"I didn't tell you that! It was forced out of me, and you know it!" Nico turned around towards Jason, "And I honestly could care less about my own personal feelings." Nico shouldered his bag and started walking towards his next class, feeling the stares people now had directed at him and Jason for the outburst.

He kept walking, almost feeling the hatred and disgust bouncing off everyone. It was only his mind playing with him, but Nico didn't realize that.

Everyone blamed him for Percy. Nico had convinced himself of that. He thought it was true, he told himself it was true. It wasn't, of course, but Nico told himself it was.

So it was.

* * *

_When did the diamonds leave your bones?_

_Leave your bones!_

_You're not a Shepard, you're just a sheep._

_A combined effort of everyone you meet._

_You're all flesh, with no bone._

_Feed 'em to the sharks, and throw 'em to the wolves!_

* * *

The rest of the day went on, but Nico wasn't paying attention. Of course, the teachers probably weren't either, they heard that Percy was back. They heard that Paul had kicked him out of class. They heard that Jason had beat the shit out of him. They heard that Jason and Annabeth had gotten into a fight about it. They heard that Nico had punched a locker, the first teacher that noticed it had sent him immediately to the nurses office and Nico got after school detention for a week. They heard that Jason and Nico had yelled at each other in the hallway.

Another one of the many reasons Jason had been suspended for a week and put on a fighting contract.

Nico wasn't sure what he was doing when he got into his car. He didn't know where he was driving to. He didn't know anything anymore. All hell broke loose the second he found Percy in his car this morning. He knew he shouldn't have gotten out of bed this morning.

He also knew he'd have the house to himself today because his dick-of-a-father wouldn't be home.

Nico spent that Wednesday afternoon in his room, blaring music through the stereo. The lyrics were so powerful, but Nico felt like they were directed at him. He knew that people out there wanted to sing this song to him. Hell, Nico wanted to sing it to himself.

* * *

_I'm burning down every bridge we made._

_I'll watch you choke on the hearts you break._

_I'm bleeding out every word you say._

_Go to Hell, for Heaven's sake. _

_Go to Hell, for Heaven's sake._

_Go to Hell, for Heaven's sake._

_Go to Hell, for Heaven's sake._


	3. Oh, Calamity!

**Oh, Calamity! – All Time Low**

* * *

_When I was younger, I was certain,_

_that I'd be fine without a queen._

_Just a king inside his castle,_

_with an ocean in between._

_Now all I do is sit, and count the miles from you to me._

_Oh, calamity._

* * *

Why did he leave again? Why didn't he just stay? He deserved all the yelling he was getting from the others. He deserved all the looks of anger he was getting from everybody, especially the ones from Annabeth. He just didn't want them. So many questions kept floating around Percy's mind. Where was he going? What was he doing? Why was he running again? Was there even a point in coming back? Why were his eyes getting misty?

Why wouldn't the bleeding stop?

Oh, great, now he's back into that feeling sorry for himself stage. He was not going to run off again. He just felt trapped. He's had his time off, he's had more than enough to deal with whatever was happening. Now, he just needs one thing: Annabeth.

* * *

_We get older by the hour._

_Watch the changes from afar._

_Keep forgetting to remember,_

_where we've been is who we are._

_Now all I do is wonder, why we ever set the scene._

_Oh, calamity._

* * *

He wiped the blood of his face at a restroom in the nearest gas station. He knew his lip would be busted for a while, his eye would be bruised for at least a month, and his nose would be fine.

He splashed some water in his face and reached for a towel.

Of course, it'd be nice to get his friends back again, but he needed Annabeth most of all. It'd be nice to have a good relationship with his parents, but that won't happen. It'd be nice if him leaving had helped anything to begin with, but it didn't.

But then again, him leaving seemed to have done nothing but make everybody sad.

Everyone had not been happier when he was gone. Life had not been better. Percy had just convinced himself of that. Everybody did miss him.

Even before he left, people cared about him.

But, now here he was. He messed everything up, just like always. He had been too wrapped up in himself that he didn't realize the things that really mattered.

But even if he had realized it before he left, that wouldn't have stopped the depression.

It also wouldn't have stopped the fact that his best friend knew he had feelings for her but didn't return them. That didn't matter anymore, Percy just wished they had the same relationship that they had in seventh grade now. He just wanted Annabeth to be comfortable around him again, that they could go back to Friday movie nights switching off from his house to hers. He wished that the whole group would go out to the Mall on Saturdays like they used to.

He had just been too stressed and depressed to enjoy any of those things before.

He didn't even realize it until now that he didn't need to leave, he just needed someone to talk to, and who would listen. He knew that he could have talked to Annabeth before, but he didn't want her to treat him different. He wanted….

Dammit. He wasn't sure what he wanted.

No, he wanted Annabeth. It would suck to just be friends with her, but it would kill him to keep things the same.

* * *

_It's such a shame that we played strangers._

_No act to change what we've become._

_Damn, it's such a shame that we built a wreck out of me._

_Oh, calamity._

* * *

The weekend passed by uselessly. He wasted more time of his life sitting in his car, drawing and listening to music.

Percy wondered what the others would be doing. He wondered if they still had their Saturday outings. Thinking of all his friends together of course made him think of Annabeth. Thinking of Annabeth and how much she had missed his sorry ass made him wonder what she did on Fridays.

Percy shut his eyes as he imagined her having movie nights with someone else.

* * *

_I'll remember nights alone._

_Waking up to dial tone._

_Always found my greatest moments,_

_in the sounds of your hello's._

_Now I struggle to recall,_

_the reasons you would come to leave._

_Oh, calamity._

* * *

Monday morning rolled around and all Percy wanted to do was go to Annabeth's house and tell her they were going to curl up on her couch and watch a movie, no school.

So he went to Annabeth's house.

Of course, he didn't actually go inside of it. He just sat in his car across the street, debating whether or not he had the balls to go and ask her to watch a movie with him. Of course she was still mad at him for Friday. She was probably slam the door in his face and climb out the back window. Or she'd say she needs to go to school. This was Annabeth, she wanted nothing more than to cram all sorts of random facts into her head so she could annoy Percy with them later.

Or, how she used to.

He was still in the middle of his mental debate when Annabeth's front door opened. Percy hit his head on the roof of his small car and then ducked down slightly. He relaxed his shoulders when he realized that it was just Mrs. Chase, Annabeth's step mom. He looked down at the clock on his dashboard: 7:45. He groaned and dropped his head onto the seat, staring up at the roof of his car, droning on in his thoughts and listening faintly to the music. Annabeth was always out the door by 7:30. Maybe she wasn't coming to school today.

And then there was knocking on the passenger window.

Percy turned his head towards the window, surprised to find Annabeth standing outside his car. He unlocked his car and leaned over to push the door open. Annabeth hesitated before slipping into his car and slamming the door. Percy swallowed the lump in his throat before reaching his hand over to turn down the music.

Annabeth grabbed his hand on the way to the dial, "Wait."

* * *

_If I catch you on the corner,_

_will you even know it's me?_

_Will I look familiar to you?_

_Do you offer me a seat?_

_Can we find a new beginning?_

_Do you turn the other cheek?_

_Oh, calamity._

* * *

Percy watched her face as the bridge played, his face heating up because he just couldn't fail to notice she hadn't let go of his hand as the music played. And then she let go of his hand to turn the dial downwards, but not enough to where it was silent.

But Percy didn't care about the music, he only noticed how much colder his hand felt when she let go.

A minute of silence passed through the car. He wasn't sure what to do. Especially since Annabeth had all of a sudden decided to lean her head on his shoulder. Out of habit – without even fucking thinking – he kissed the top of her head. She stiffened, then relaxed. In those two seconds, he felt like someone had hammered a nail into his chest and then pulled it back out.

Percy looked out the window, noticing how other people's lives just went on while they sat in his old car. He noticed the old couple sitting on the bench outside their house drinking coffee or something and talking.

And that was about it. Annabeth's neighborhood was pretty quiet.

But still, no matter how quiet, Percy knew each house held plenty of people. The outside may seem peaceful and quiet, but the people inside could be screaming at each other until they were blue in the face and punching and kicking. Percy also hated thinking about that stuff, but the thoughts wouldn't leave him alone. They just kept bouncing around in his mind, never letting him just not have a damn headache. So, he turned back towards Annabeth.

Holy shit he didn't expect that.

The first thing he noticed? Annabeth's head was no longer rested on his shoulder.

The second thing? Oh, right, her lips were pressed against his.

* * *

_It's such a shame that we played strangers._

_No act to change what we've become._

_Damn, it's such a shame that we, built a wreck out of me._

_Oh, calamity._

_Oh, calamity._

* * *

They pulled apart, the minute seeming like a few seconds.

Percy really hoped the blush wasn't as red as it felt.

"It is," Annabeth said, tucking a curl behind her ear.

Dammit, did he say that out loud?

"Look, Annabeth, I'm really sorry. I was stupid, I was wrong, I wasn't thinking…" Percy looked up at Annabeth, who was only staring back at him, "This is where most people would stop me."

Annabeth sighed, "No, I like hearing you admit to being a Seaweed Brain."

The nickname warmed Percy's heart so much he couldn't handle it. He leaned forward and grabbed both sides of Annabeth's cheeks. He pulled in until their noses were touching. He contemplated opening his mouth, wondering if his breath stank or something.

Percy's eyes fluttered open, "Would it be completely weird if I kissed you again?"

Annabeth laughed a little, running over the bust on his lip with her thumb, "It would be weird if you leaned like this into me just lean back out."

So, Percy took that as a yes.

And, yes, they did end up watching movies on her couch all day instead of going back to school.

* * *

_Oh, calamity._

_Come back to me._


	4. Somewhere in Neverland

**Somewhere in Neverland – All Time Low**

* * *

_Say goodbye to the halls and the classes._

_Say hello to a job and the taxes._

_The weekends with old friends, spilling into nine to five routines._

_Tell me how you feel over and done with,_

_like your life is a map with no compass, to guide._

_At the bar, drinking way too much._

_We sing along to forever young._

* * *

Holy fucking shit why couldn't he think of anything else? No matter how hard Percy tried, Annabeth was just refusing to stay out of his mind. Ever since they had their Friday-Movie-Monday-Night, Annabeth had been completely avoiding him. All she did was stick to the usual group, all of the people Percy still considered his friends. The only person who really associated with him anymore was Grover.

He could not be more grateful to at least have Grover.

It had already been a full week, and Percy was seriously considering just leaving again. He also realized how stupid that would be, but hey, would anything really be that different? They didn't talk to him when he was gone, they don't talk to him now. The initial reaction they had given him was probably just shock, as they didn't seem to really miss him anymore.

Paul still kicked him out of his class on a daily basis, no matter how hard Percy tried to get him to play nice for a while. Paul refused, saying he had to have an appropriate conversation with his mother before Paul could even think of letting him in his sight for more than five minutes.

So, naturally, Percy called him a push-over (maybe not a nicely) and fixed his beanie as he stormed out of the room.

Then, he'd almost immediately regret walking out of the room. He was no longer able to see Annabeth. He just wanted to pause the world, walk over to her, and hold her. He wanted nothing more from life than to just hug her for...an extensive amount of time.

* * *

_So here we go again,_

_wishing we could start again._

* * *

Percy shook his head from all the thoughts clouding it as he shut his locker. Grover came over to Percy, his crutches making a soft clump on the linoleum, "Perce, are you even going to attempt to talk to us at lunch yet?"

Percy winced slightly, knowing close to no one would be pleased with him placing his butt at their table, "I think I'll pass, G-Man. But thanks." Percy gripped his brown paper bag and patted Grover's shoulder, turning down the hallway, "I'll catch you at PE." Percy said hopefully over his shoulder.

"Definitely, see ya then Perce."

And – of fucking course – as soon as Percy walked away from Grover, Annabeth turned the corner and almost ran right into him. She dropped a notebook on Percy's foot and stumbled. Percy caught her, blushed like a tomato, and stuttered something that sounded like a dolphin dying. He positioned her back on her feet and kicked the notebook up into his hand.

"Yea, uh sorry." Percy clenched his jaw awkwardly, handing Annabeth her notebook, "I'll just go." he nodded in the other direction and walked away, knowing she wouldn't want to see him at the moment.

He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking of how badly he wanted to turn around and grab her hand and go to lunch.

* * *

_Wendy, run away with me._

_I know I sound crazy,_

_don't you see what you do to me?_

_I wanna be your lost boy,_

_your last chance._

_A better reality, yeah._

* * *

Percy sat in his car with his seat reclined, munching on the stale sandwich he picked up from the subway at the gas station around the corner of his mom's apartment building. Music flooded the poor, abused speakers of his car. His head slumped back onto the rest again as he saw all of his friends come flooding out of the cafeteria doors to sit in the quad until they had to go back to class.

Just to be safe, Percy made sure his headlights weren't on.

And then suddenly he wasn't in his car anymore.

"I told you I'd find you, punk!" a pot – bellied man yanked Percy by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the door of his car.

"Woah, wait what?" Percy said, putting his hands up in surrender.

"I mean my girl! You stole her! Where is she? In your damn truck you bastard?" the man gripped his shirt tighter.

All Percy could do was stare at him like an idiot, "I don't even own a truck you dumbass!"

The man clenched his teeth and feigned a punch on Percy, "Don't act like you don't remember, punk!"

And of course, Percy couldn't think with all the spit that came out from under his mustache when he said punk.

"I don't know who you are you pot-bellied bitch." Percy said, wiping the spit off his eyelid.

A crowd had gathered, and a teacher pushed past all the students, "Hey, is there a problem here?"

"Quiet old man, this gentlemen's work, leave it be." Fat Mustache told him.

"No, I don't think I will. Now please hand over the student." The teacher (Mr. Manning?) took a step closer.

"It's fine, Mr. Manning, I got this. Don't hurt yourself, please." Percy told the teacher.

"What, punk, you think you're gonna take me? Hm?" Mr. Mustache pulled Percy closer to his face, his shirt still clutched tightly in his fists.

Percy looked down at his fists, "You know, it's one of my favorite shirts."

The man squinted at Percy and released him, looking down at the black shirt he was wearing under a red and black flannel, "Of Mice and Men? Isn't that some book, you fucking nerd?"

He briefly heard Thalia huff and mutter something under her breath.

"It's a band, and you obviously have no taste in music." Percy interjected, slightly annoyed.

Wow, why was the world spinning?

The side of Percy's head was blaring fires of pain and his ear was ringing. Did he just get punched? He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them back up, "Well that hurt! What the hell is wrong with you, you don't just go around punching random high schoolers! What did I ever fucking do to you?" Percy yelled, swinging his fist up and crunching with the man's chin. Fatty's head shot backward and he stumbled back.

"My…girl…left. Her note, she came looking for you." The man spat some blood out of his mouth and raised his fists, "You remember."

Percy scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, and then realization passed over his face. Was this the dude from Long Beach? Percy remembered, he had been taking a break from the world while he was gone. It was maybe two months after he left. There was some huge guy and what seemed like his girlfriend, arguing against the rocks. They were hidden from public eye, but not if someone came towards the shore. Percy could barely make out some of the words they were yelling at each other, not wanting to eavesdrop but also having a bad feeling about it. And then the girl said something right to his face and the man slapped her. Percy had jumped, shocked, and the man slapped her again. And again. And again. And then Percy snapped and took off in a sprint. He had yelled at the man, told him that was no way to treat a lady, beat the shit out of him, and then made sure the girl got somewhere the man wouldn't find him.

"You…" Percy said, "You're the asswipe who thinks it's ok to beat a woman!" Percy said, taking steps closer to him, anger boiling in his blood and building in his chest. The anger made his body warm, even against the chilly late January air.

"No, that's not it. People need to mind their own damn business, especially you, punk!" The man said.

And then Percy's fist connected with his jaw again. He hated people like that, who thought women were nothing but play toys. Who thought hitting them would do anything. He got even angrier, punching down on the man again. He grabbed his shoulders and kneed his gut. The man stumbled and Percy kicked his chest, forcing him onto his back.

"What did you think showing up here was gonna accomplish?" Percy stared down at the man.

"My girl…I need her…just…give…her." The man said pleadingly.

"Not a chance, asshole. I don't even know where she is, much less her name. All I know is she doesn't deserve a dick like you." Percy said, the anger slowly dissipating from his body. All that was left was pure hatred. Percy turned back around and faced his social studies teacher, "Sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Manning." Percy walked past him and came face to face with his old friends. He hung his head, intending on pushing past them and not bothering them.

"Percy," Jason said, his voice faltering, "Look bro, I'm sorry for snapping on you."

Percy held up his hand, "Nah, I deserved it," Percy licked his lips, "Sorry for the bother."

"No, you're not a bother." Thalia said, digging her hands into the pocket of her ripped skinny jeans and scuffing the heel of her combat boots on the asphalt, "You can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but I don't mind having you around."

"Yea, Who else is gonna stand beside me to make me look even more attractive than I already am?" Leo smiled, holdout his arms.

"Oh, shut up you big dork." A curly haired girl, Hazel he learned, pushed Leo's shoulder slightly.

The big Asian wrapped an arm around Hazel's shoulder, "I don't even really know you, and I can tell you're a nice guy at heart."

"He is."

Two. Words. She said two words, and Percy felt like his knees might give out. He suddenly remembered everything he wanted again, and how badly he just wanted to hold Annabeth. He just wanted a pause in time to be with Annabeth. He just wanted Annabeth.

* * *

_Wendy, we can get away._

_I promise if you're with me – say the word and we'll find a way._

_And I can be your lost boy, your last chance._

_You're everything better plan._

_Oh, somewhere in Neverland._

* * *

They got back into their old habits, hanging out and messing with each other. They went out as a group on Saturday's to the mall to eat and look around. Percy tagged along with Thalia and Nico to Hot Topic finally. He had to admit, it was a lot better than he thought it was gonna be. They had such amazing music playing the whole time he was in there, looking through band t-shirts and Cd's and bracelets and jeans and everything he needed. They took pictures together with the ninja turtle backpacks on.

Him and Annabeth had their Friday movie nights again. They sat on her couch since they couldn't exactly go to Percy's house and watched stupid comedies, eating popcorn and occasionally throwing it at each other. He talked to Mr. and Mrs. Chase again, getting their trust back almost instantaneously. They told him that Annabeth had brought up the fact that they were dating now, sort of. And Percy was more than 100% ok with that.

He also gained a really good friendship with Hazel and Frank, better than he thought he would. Hazel was awesome, she apparently left her old high school in New Orleans because the other kids thought she was a freak. Her mom was to blame for that, since she was some fake fortune teller who used the money Hazel gained from her multiple jobs to buy fake Jewels. Her mom ended up getting killed by angry clients, and kids told Hazel she was probably the one who killed her. Not a week later, her boyfriend Sammy went missing. Yea that didn't settle well. Frank moved here with his grandmother after his mom had died in helping her comrade back to safety in Afghanistan. Percy hadn't wanted to pry, so Jason had spoken to him about it.

Percy and Jason were on much better terms now. They were back to normal basically, competitive about little things and laughing about it. Him and Leo always mess around and pull stupid pranks on the others that usually end up with them getting punched. Piper almost always comes to Percy for advice with hers and Jason's relationship, which Percy didn't really understand. She was a natural when it came to love, just not her own. Grover and Percy hang out all the time, laughing and cracking jokes at each other. Percy didn't even realize how bad he missed this. He felt different, though.

He was actually enjoying himself.

It got a little confusing the next week, though. They were hanging out in the quad during lunch, laughing because Leo seemed to have fallen in love.

"Guys, I'm serious! She was amazing! She had the most gorgeous blond hair I've ever seen!" Leo stated.

Jason feigned shock, "I'm hurt, Leo. I really am."

Everyone laughed, "No I'm serious! It was all braided and stuff, and she made the simple white v-neck and shorts look like a model outfit!"

"You seriously remember this girl." Thalia laughed.

"I do!"

"But," Percy scratched the back of his head, "She was all alone and you just so happened to notice her while you were in line getting a pretzel? Why would a girl like that be all alone?"

"I don't know, but I'm glad she was." Leo slumped down onto the bench of one of the tables and closed his eyes.

Hazel put a hand on his shoulder, "Do you even know her name?"

His eyes shot open and he jumped up, "Crap!"

Everyone was laughing by the time Percy noticed that Annabeth still hadn't come out from her History class, "Hey, guys, I'm gonna go to the bathroom."

Percy wandered back into the cafeteria and to the hallways. He looked through the window of Mr. Mannings' room. Annabeth wasn't in there. He checked the library, her locker, the office, Paul's room, and he even had a girl go check the bathroom for him. He wandered into the parking lot and saw her sitting in her car, her face on resting on the steering wheel. He walked over to her and knocked on the passenger window. She didn't even lift her head up and unlocked the car. He swallowed, thinking something bad had happened. He pulled open the door and slid into the seat, closing the door behind him.

He pressed his lips together and looked down at his lap, then back over at Annabeth, "Uh, Hey Annabeth?"

"What?" her response was muffled by the steering wheel.

Percy didn't know what to say after that, sadly. He just reached an arm out and pulled her into his chest. He sat there with her face buried into the crook of his neck, rubbing soothing circles into her back, "What is it, Wise Girl?"

He could feel her smirk against his neck, "Nothing, just thinking."

He chuckled, "That can't be good."

"Shut up."

"Ok, what were you thinking about?"

She draped her arm across his shoulder, "What are we?"

Percy didn't know what to say, so he played it safe, "We're best friends."

"Who kissed." she added nonchalantly

Percy smirked, "Best friends who kissed, yes."

"Jeez Percy, doesn't take a genius to tell you that if a girl willingly kisses you she likes you."

Percy cleared his throat, "Nor one for you when a guy kisses you."

"So we like each other."

"I think we've established that."

"So are we dating?"

"I think that's up to you."

"Why do you keep starting with 'I think'?"

"Why do you keep starting with 'so'?"

Annabeth shifted in her seat and grabbed Percy's hand, leaning out, "_So_, we're dating?"

Percy slapped his cheek and dropped his mouth open, "Annabeth Chase, are you asking me out?"

"Perseus Jackson, I think I am."

He leaned forward and kissed her, not wanting to wait any longer.

* * *

_We'll start a life of the plain and the simple._

_With great times and far better people._

_Weekends with our friends, laughing 'bout the wine that stains their teeth._

_We'll talk about how your parents separated and,_

_how you don't wanna make the same mistakes as them._

_I'll say it's all about sticking it out, and trying to feel forever young._

_So here we go again,_

_wishing we could start again._

* * *

And not wanting to make a big announcement, they settled for something simple: walking into school with Percy's arm draped across her shoulders and her holding it against her shoulder.

It didn't take long for them to realize that they should have just told their friends instead of the surprise.

"Oh my gods!" Piper half-shouted.

"I win! You owe me five bucks!" Leo shouted in Jason's face, who grudgingly pulled out his wallet.

"What the hell?" Thalia muttered, scrunching up her face.

"Wait, when?" Piper held out her hand.

"And, uh, no mean to pry but, why didn't this happen five years ago?" Hazel cut in.

Frank closed his eyes and shook his head, "Wait, I'm confused…"

Percy opened his mouth to speak, but Annabeth beat him to it, "No need to bring the 'Gods' into it, Piper, when did you two make a bet? Hell has nothing to do with this, I'm not sure when, either right now or last Friday, we were twelve five years ago, and I'm a little confused myself."

Percy smiled smugly, oddly feeling proud, and pulled Annabeth slightly closer into his side. _Why couldn't this have happened five months ago?_, he thought.

And then his friends were hounding them with questions.

_What happens to the group if you two break up? Why didn't this happen sooner? What were you guys doing last Friday, hm? _(Leo) _What if you guys break up and Percy leaves again? Are you guys moving in together? This could either be the best or worst thing that's ever happened to us. _

Percy didn't want to be rude, but, he really didn't want to be asked anything. This wasn't some interview, and frankly, this was getting quite annoying. Luckily, Annabeth was answering everything for them, so he zoned in on her lemony scented hair and how curly and perfectly blond it was.

And how much he just wanted to be back in her car.

* * *

_Wendy, run away with me._

_I know I sound crazy, don't you see what you do to me?_

_I wanna be your lost boy,_

_your last chance._

_A better reality, yea._

_Wendy, we can get away._

_I promise if you're with me,_

_say the word and we'll get away._

_I wanna be your lost boy,_

_your last chance._

_Your eveything better plan._

_Oh, somewhere in Neverland._


End file.
